


Long Night Drive

by pyrokenesis (platformfires)



Series: 12 Monkeys Theme Week [5]
Category: 12 Monkeys (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-10
Updated: 2015-04-10
Packaged: 2018-03-22 05:54:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3717640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/platformfires/pseuds/pyrokenesis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Day 5: These arms of mine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Long Night Drive

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so glad there wasn't a word limit for this; no way would I have been able to cut it down. Cassie and Cole take to the open road to hide from the Monkeys. Of course, it gets personal. Also I cried last night while I was writing this so good luck.
> 
> Enjoy!

The bookstore wasn’t a safe place to stay anymore. The explosion had taken out all of the front windows and the Monkeys knew their location. Cassie had no idea what their next move would be. She fumbled around in the kitchen while Cole rested in his bed.

She took a bag out of one of the kitchen cupboards. She’d been keeping it there for the last couple of months just in case she and Cole had needed to make a run for it without notice. It was mostly cash but she’d also packed a few necessities just in case.

She grabbed her keys and made her way to the living room to see Cole completely out of it. At least he’d be able to sleep in the car. She sat down gently on the edge of his bed, careful not to startle him.

 “Cole,” she whispered. His eyes fluttered open slowly. He swallowed and fought to stay awake. His forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat and he was drowsy. He was still weak from the explosion. Apparently turning yourself into a paradox is tiring work. 

“Cole, we have to leave. Think you can make it to my car?” she asked quietly. He closed his eyes again and nodded. She wrapped her arm around his waist and helped him up. He was heavy and felt like he was going to collapse at any moment. She considered picking him up and carrying him but he probably wouldn’t like that. Instead he stumbled out of the back door into the alleyway, Cassie at his side.

*

She sat Cole sat in the front seat, slightly tilted back to help relax him, fast asleep. Cassie kept glancing over at him while she was driving. There was a knot in her stomach and she took a deep breath.

She thought about what had happened the night before, about Cole. She knew he had been in a lot of fights and she’d had to stitch him up more than once. It was only when he was lying completely naked on her floor did she realize the damage the years had done to him.

 She wanted to ask him about it all; about the future, his time with Ramse, about all his scars and the stories behind them.  She stopped her train of thought there. Cole probably didn’t want to talk about his scars any more than she wanted to talk about hers. She shook her head and focused on the road again. Cole shifted in his seat and muttered something.

Cassie never thought she would be running away at 4am with a bag of cash on her back seat and a guy unconscious in the front, but a lot had changed since she met Cole. It had been difficult at first; she hadn’t even been sure he was real. No. She _knew_ he was, but no-one believed her. It was a rough couple of years until he showed up again but with him she didn’t feel so alone. They’d had their ups and downs, but she trusted Cole now; she hoped he trusted her, too.

Aaron had given them away. Fucking Aaron. Cassie was gripping the wheel with white knuckles and staring ahead.

“You okay?” Cole asked. She hadn’t even noticed he’d woken up. Cassie jumped and loosened her grip. She forced a smile but Cole didn’t buy it. He was too tired to ask her about it, maybe he would when he was feeling stronger.

“Where are we going?” he asked sleepily. Cassie swallowed and stared at the road again.

“I don’t know,” she muttered.

Cole didn’t respond. Cassie saw him looking out of the window and watching the street lights pass by. She hoped he might fall asleep again; she wasn’t in the mood for talking. They both stayed silent for a while and listened to the hum of the engine. The sun was starting to come up again and the sky had turned a dark blue. It would be so beautiful if not for the context.

“I’m sorry, Cass,” Cole said quietly. She kept her eyes on the road but she could feel him looking at her. He said it with such sincerity, she could imagine the look on his face right now; she’d seen it before. Cole was so caring at times. He knew that she didn’t want to be here but she’d had no choice. He’d have periods where he’d feel incredibly guilty about all that had happened to her. There was nothing he could do about it. All he could do was fix this thing and try to change her future; he wanted to give her a new, better life.

“Don’t,” she said quietly. She felt her voice crack and fought back her tears. She couldn’t do this right now. “Please, just...” she trailed off.

Cole stayed quiet. There was nothing he could do for her. He couldn’t do this alone and he hated seeing what it did to Cassie. He had noticed the little things; the way she’d occasionally snap when they worked together and how she some days she’d be quieter than usual. Sometimes her hands would shake but he never mentioned it. He knew it wasn’t easy for her but he felt so helpless.

“Anything else, please,” she muttered.

Cole nodded.  Thoughts raced through his head, what could he say? All he had was stories about survival which wouldn’t make her feel better.  He saw a tear roll down her cheek and swallowed hard. His stomach was in knots and his throat was dry. He took a deep breath and relaxed into the seat, closing his eyes.

“When I was a kid,” he started. “All I wanted to be was a writer.”

Cassie smiled. She could definitely picture Cole hunched over a desk with a cigarette in his mouth typing furiously. He paused for a moment before continuing.

“I loved the idea of all the possibilities; how you could write anything and it would be real somehow. Growing up in a group home wasn’t easy...” he trailed off. He didn’t want to go down that road right now.  “I was never good at talking. I think they all worried about me, I was such a quiet kid,” he laughed. “They tried to send me to counselling to see what was wrong with me but it didn’t work out. The only person I’d ever talk to was...” he frowned and cleared his throat.

“Ramse?” Cassie said softly.

Cole nodded. “Right,” he muttered. “Ramse was like a brother to me. He taught me to read and write. They were just little stories on any scraps of paper we could find. He’d draw pictures to go with them.”

Cassie laughed. “What did you write about?” she asked.

“Just kids stuff,” He chuckled. “You know...pirates, heroes, adventurers. It was all an escapism thing. We decided once we got out of there we’d move to the city and make a living writing books together. Then...well... you know the rest.”

Cassie needed a moment to take all of that in. Cole would occasionally slip something personal into a conversation but he’d never opened up that much before. Cassie furrowed her brows and looked at him for a long moment. He still had his eyes closed and was breathing heavily.

“Cole...” she started. He smirked.

“I know, it’s st-” he shook his head.

“No,” she interrupted. “It’s nice,” she smiled. Cole opened one of his eyes and looked at her. He couldn’t help but smile. He shifted in the seat anxiously waiting for her to keep talking. He wasn’t good at sharing and that little story had been pretty intense for him. Cassie had her eyes on the road again now and Cole let out a deep sigh.

She was itching to touch him; just something, to show her support. She knew Cole didn’t like intimacy and he wasn’t good at talking. It meant so much to her that he shared something like that with her. She didn’t want to startle him. A kiss would be too forward. Nudging his shoulder wouldn’t be caring enough. She remembered yesterday when they had taken James to his new home. She wasn’t wearing gloves right now, would it be too much? She kept looking at his hand, waiting for the right time.

Cassie started to reach over, slowly and hesitantly. Cole still had his eyes closed and his breathing was starting to slow. She stopped for a second and considered retracting her arm. No, she thought. A shot of confidence rushed through her and she did it.

Cole flinched at her touch and his eyes shot open as she touched his hand. She panicked and pulled her hand away instantly.

“Sorry,” she muttered as she returned her hand to the steering wheel.

Cole swallowed. She looked embarrassed and her face was bright red. He smirked and looked out of the window again. The sun was coming up over the horizon. The sky was a beautiful pink fading into blue and the clouds looked so alive. He looked back to Cassie who was anxiously biting her lip. She was focused on the road.

Cole reached over and took her hand. Cassie didn’t pull away this time. His hands were a little clammy and Cassie was tense. He intertwined their fingers and felt her start to relax. She fought back a smile and Cole noticed the pink tinge in her cheeks. He traced little circles on her palm with his thumb and looked out of the window again.

It was so easy with Cassie. He was still getting comfortable with the intimacy they shared; there was no such thing in 2043 except for maybe what he’d had with Ramse. All he had now was Cassie. He was basically stuck in 2015 which made him feel happier than he could ever remember being. 

They held hands in silence for a while. Eventually they split apart and all Cassie could think about was how close she wanted to be to Cole right now. She wanted it to be just the two of them in the entire world for a second, forget about everything that had happened to them both. If she couldn’t do it physically then, emotionally it would be.

“When I was a kid,” Cassie sighed. “I wanted to be a ballet dancer...”

Cole smiled. “No way,” he chuckled.

“Hey!” Cassie exclaimed. “No laughing.”

Cole sighed and smiled. “Sorry.”

“Anyway...” she continued. “My parents hated it. They didn’t appreciate the amount of work that went into it. They wanted me to be academic but all I wanted to do was dance. When I was little, probably 4 or 5, I would sneak over to the studio across the street and watch people taking classes. My parents worked a lot and my nanny spent more time watching TV than she did me. I’d watch the classes and imagine myself on a stage doing everything they were doing. I loved any sort of dancing.”

Cole was watching her in complete awe. He’d never seen Cassie’s eyes light up like this. She looked so happy right now, like this was the only thing in the world that she cared about. He never thought to ask her about her life before him; they hadn’t had the time.

“One day, one of the tutors saw me watching. She said I could join in her class if I cleaned the shoes afterwards. I was 5 and it seemed like a fair deal,” she chuckled. Cole smiled. “I was obsessed. Dancing was all I cared about. I kept sneaking across to that studio every Saturday for 5 years, paying for my classes with work. No way would my parents pay. I didn’t even care, as long as I got to take that class. Eventually I got a job and paid for classes somewhere else; somewhere better.”

“So what happened?” He asked quietly.

“What do you mean?” She asked, puzzled. Cole cleared his throat.

“Why did you stop?” He muttered. Cassie paused for a second. It wasn’t a memory she was particularly fond of but she’d started now and got herself into it. She let out a long breath.

“When I was 17 we were in gym class. Soccer. The only thing I loved almost as much as dancing was soccer. Anyway, one girl got way too into it and the next thing I knew, her studs were in my knee and I was on the floor. There was blood everywhere. I couldn’t feel anything. I had to quit dancing after that,” she said shakily. She sniffed and looked down. “My parents were sympathetic but I knew that they were secretly happy that I’d start to focus on my studies more. I had always been pretty good at science so it seemed like my best option at that point. It was the only thing I knew how to do except for dance, and I didn’t _hate_ it. I worked really hard and got into good colleges and, well, 15 years later...” she trailed off.

Cole was shocked into silence. He had no idea. He wished he could’ve seen Cassie dance; she would no doubt have been breathtaking. He couldn’t imagine having everything taken away in a second. It wouldn’t have been the only time, either. He’d turned her life upside down for the second time. Once again she’d lost everything only this time she hadn’t had a lot to fall back on. He felt a knot in his stomach and swallowed. Instead of pressing the subject further he tried to lighten the mood.

“I wish I could’ve seen you,” he smiled. He looked over to see Cassie smirk and her cheeks flush pink. She shook her head. He shifted in his seat to face her better. “I mean it Cassie,” he said seriously.

“If this splintering doesn’t kill you, maybe you can take a trip back there,” she joked. Cole laughed. She’d never heard him laugh before. He’d smile and chuckle at things but she’d never heard him really laugh. There was so much they didn’t know about each other. She hoped that one day they might be able to talk without the threat of being killed and have some time for themselves. Would they _ever_ get a break?

“Maybe,” Cole said eventually.

Cassie knew that “maybe” wasn’t an option; both of them knew that. Sometimes Cassie liked to pretend that it would be fine. There would be a loophole somewhere and she could keep Cole. Of course it was all just a hopeless fantasy. The reality was that they were together for one reason:  to stop the 12 Monkeys. Once they’d done that they’d go their separate ways and their timelines would be rewritten. Cassie put that thought out of her head and looked over to Cole who was staring out the window and watching the sunrise.

It was moments like this that made it all worthwhile.

**Author's Note:**

> That's it! I've enjoyed theme week so much. I'll have the next chapter of Move My Way up as soon as I can. I have it basically written I just need to add a few finishing touches. I'm really excited for you all to read it.


End file.
